...less medical jargon in a 'Quick Glance' format!
Serious asprin side effects include:
black, tarry stools
confusion
difficulty breathing, wheezing
dizziness, drowsiness
ringing in the ears
seizures
skin rash
stomach pain
unusual bleeding or bruising, red or purple spots on the skin
vomiting up blood, or what looks like coffee grounds
Minor side effects with aspirin include:
diarrhea
nausea, vomiting
reduced amount of urine passed
stomach gas, heartburn
Let your doctor know about these side effects if they do not go away or if they annoy you.
Caution:
If you have had surgery do not take aspirin for 5 days, unless your doctor tells you to. Aspirin can interfere with your body's ability to stop bleeding.
If you are diabetic, aspirin may alter your blood sugar levels. Check with your doctor before you change your diet or the dose of your diabetic medicine.
Aspirin can irritate your stomach. Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes can make this irritation worse and may cause ulcers or bleeding problems. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for help to stop smoking or drinking. Do not lie down for 30 minutes after taking aspirin to prevent irritation to your throat.
OVERDOSE: Aspirin overdose can be acute or chronic. In acute poisoning, a single large dose is taken; in chronic poisoning, supratherapeutic doses are taken over a period of time. Acute overdose has a mortality rate of 2%. Chronic overdose is more commonly lethal with a mortality rate of 25%; chronic overdose may be especially severe in children.
SYMPTOMS Aspirin overdose has potentially serious consequences, sometimes leading to significant morbidity and death. Patients with mild intoxication frequently have nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, tinnitus, and dizziness. More significant symptoms occur in more severe poisonings and include hyperthermia, tachypnea, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis, hyperkalemia, hypoglycemia, hallucinations, confusion, seizure, cerebral edema, and coma. The most common cause of death following an aspirin overdose is cardiopulmonary arrest usually due to pulmonary edema.
TOXICITY The acutely toxic dose of aspirin is generally considered greater than 150 mg per kg of body mass. Moderate toxicity occurs at doses up to 300 mg/kg, severe toxicity occurs between 300 to 500 mg/kg, and a potentially lethal dose is greater than 500 mg/kg. Chronic toxicity may occur following doses of 100 mg/kg per day for two or more days.
